Vital Spark
by Kondoru
Summary: Casshern is the most perfect killing machine to have ever existed; why then is he so unhappy with his lot?
1. In the Tomb of Death

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for Betaing.

Part One

In The Tomb of Death

The guard stood silently by the heavy steel door. He was a heavy class robot warrior, and was good at things like standing by heavy steel doors.

His horned head cocked; two smaller, thinner figures came though the outer door to his chamber. Light class robot warriors.

"Orders sixonesix" Zako said cheerily.

The guard (whose name was Dorro) would have smiled if his simple featureless face allowed.

You could hear it in his voice though. "Someone's in for a treat!" he laughed. He stepped forwards and plugged his massive hand into the electronics locks interface by the door. There was a clunk, and massive bolts drew back. He shouldered open the door, which was over a foot thick, and an effort for even his massive body to open.

The two smaller robots followed him though. "Let's disturb their happy mediations on death!"

Inside the small room were three trapdoors set into the floor. All were of a construction of a weight that evidently only a heavy class robot stood a chance of lifting.

Dorro paused. "Whose it to be? Red, White or Blue?"

Zako laughed nastily; "You know Braiking Boss...He's a great guy, only the best for those who oppose him."

"White!" laughed Nage.

The big robot shook his helmeted head. He brought his fist down upon his barrel chest with a clang. "Seems a bit heavy going for human bandits."

The second little robot laughed. "Oh, it's as renegade robot lord."

"That's fine." The big robot stepped to the middle trapdoor; he unlocked no less than six different locks, and pulled it open. Even with his massive servomotors, it took an effort.

"Down you go." The trapdoor was of a size only a light class warrior could enter.

The two smaller ones, (both standing nearly two and a half metres tall) looked down it with trepidation.

Dorro gave a massive belly laugh. In that small chamber he sounded like thunder. "Are you scaredy humans?"

"He might not like being disturbed." said Zako, who was having second thoughts.

"He might be sleeping!" said Nage. Nage was new to this job.

The big robot gave Nage a cuff, which left a nasty dent in his back. "Don't be wimps! He will be delighted at the chance of a bit of fresh air!" Dorros laugh changed to a snigger, "and a kill."

The smaller robots decided to continue doing as per orders, after all, it was a great honour to serve Braiking Boss in this way.

Even if you ended up in bits.

People had ended up in bits…

Under the trapdoor was a shaft with a ladder going down.

And down.

And down.

The shaft went down into solid granite for nearly a hundred metres.

When at the bottom the two robots paused, they looked up the shaft to see Dorros horned head in the distance, looking very small. Both gulped.

"Let's turn the light on." It was pitch dark.

The light switch was found and turned on, to a dim red light. After all the inhabitant would be very angry if blinded. He wasn't used to light.

The chamber was about the size of the one above. Roughly hewn out of the rock. Mica crystals glittered in the dim light.

At the other side was yet another metal door.

"We might as well ring the bell." Zako said pressing the buzzer before his companion could object. "Let him know we are here."

He unlocked the door then drew back the three bars that held it shut.

Nage took a step backwards. His companion had done this before. All in all, as an immortal machine, he did not wish to gaze upon the face of Death...

In the cell it was the darkness of a deep sea trench. A rectangle of floor was lit by the opening door.

There was the clink of chains.

The first robot stepped though. "Good morning!"

Nage followed. Suddenly he felt very brave.

"What is it?" Came a voice, not the rough electronic voice of a warrior class robot, but the less synthesised tones of one of the common General Purpose robots who occupied the city in place of humans...Indeed they looked to all intents and purposes, just like a human. Nage was proud of his tall armoured body...He could never understand why a robot would choose to be made in the form of the long defeated...And mostly eradicated humans.

Wasn't it enough to be Self Aware?

Blue eyes blinked in the unaccustomed light.

The occupant was `indeed` a General Purpose robot, he sat chained to the wall on the far side of the cell.

Zako bent down to regard this entity. "Orders sixonesix, Casshern."


	2. Free Will

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for Betaing

Part Two

Free Will

"Is it?" Asked Casshern groggily. He `had` been sleeping.

"Come on, Nage, help me with these manacles."

Nage stepped forwards and began unlocking cuffs that seemed all out of proportion to the fragile being who sat there.

His ankles were double ironed.

Casshern stood up, flexing long disused limbs. Otherwise he made no move to show he was grateful for being able to move about again.

Nage stepped back. Casshern was clad in a white bodysuit, his shaggy hair was brown, his boyish face quite ordinary.

"Lets go," said Zako, "you first." He gestured the stranger out of the cell.

Casshern scaled the ladder to the outer world and daylight in a series of agile bounds, the two robots scrambling after.

When they got to the upper chamber they found Casshern stood there looking at the other two trapdoors thoughtfully.

"Yep, Braiking Boss wants to see you ASAP." Dorro was saying.

"Does he?" Casshern gave a yawn.

"Zako and Nage are your escort; go with them." Dorro went back to his post.

Zako led the way, Casshern following.

As he stepped out of the cell, Nage got his first good look at Death.

What he saw would give him nightmares for weeks.

Cassherns empty eyes gave no sign of Consciousness.

He was just a Machine...


	3. The Lord of Life and Death

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard Disclaimers.

Thanks to TJ for betaing.

Part Three

The Lord of Life and Death

Casshern was a killing machine; the most perfect ever created by either human or robot. If Braiking Boss wanted someone done in, it was Casshern who was unchained in his deep dungeon, shown a picture and given particulars of his prey and set loose.

Casshern never faltered, he never failed, he never questioned. He killed.

And that alone set him apart from his fellow robots. He was a killer, the lowest form of life, ritually unclean.

Casshern had never been given the Vital Spark.

The robots of the world respected life. They harmed not each other, nor the many animals of the world.

They had even called a truce with the few remaining humans, on the agreement that as long as humans left the robots to rule the world, they would not come to harm.

They would be neither eradicated nor enslaved.

Indeed the World of Robots was a good one for humans. Humans did things like grow flowers to beautify the robots cities, a lot of artists and musicians were human too.

In return the robots had developed sophisticated medical treatments.

It wasn't only the robots who were now immortal. Humanity was too.

So the city dwelling robots and the country dwelling humans had finally achieved harmony.

And yet...

But even Utopia is not perfect.

Robots do not struggle like humans do.

True, an awful lot of resources go into building a robot, but after that, they merely need regular servicing to live.

They run on solar power and oxygen extracted from the air.

General Purpose Robots wear clothing. But they own little.

The clothes they stand up in, and a small bag of petty items would be the normal possessions of most robots.

Robots like to be dry and warm. But few had houses. Most robots rented simple rooms in robot hostels.

Humans have to eat, of course, and that means farms to grow crops and raise animals on.

By that very fact they are extravagant in land resources.

They need clothing, and shelter.

Unlike Robots, humans are greedy. They want more.

And more

And even more.

There is no satisfying humans. Not at all.

Plus there is the long standing issue of the sheer number of humans who died in the Robot Wars of several centuries ago.

Several billion.

Never mind that there were several billion too many of the pests.

Never mind that they were destroying the planet with their greed.

Never mind that they needed a serious object lesson in hubris.

And humans, unlike robots, hold grudges.

So Braiking Boss held the ultimate in deterrents. He controlled death.

Woe betide anyone, human or robot who opposed him. (Not all his enemies were humans. Robots could sometimes be just as bad.)

Braiking Boss had a massive army of (mostly demobbed) Battle bots.

But fear of assassination was much more effective.

Just the rumour of the Death that Braiking Boss controlled was often enough to quell rebellion.

This was why Casshern had been created.

He always made his kill, and always returned to the city of Braiking Boss, slinking in on a moonless night like a ghostly white shadow. He would make his way past the guards, who let him though checkpoints in awed silence and go and kneel humbly at the feet of his dread lord, forehead on the polished obsidian of the floor.

"They are dead, Master." Is all he would say.

"Good work Casshern." Braiking Boss would praise.

And Casshern would rise and silently make his way to the deepest dungeon in Braiking Bosses fortress.

His rather restricted circumstances seldom bothered Casshern. He knew he could not walk free under the sun. There were times, particularly if he felt threatened, when he went berserk, destroying all in his path. Braiking Boss would be angry if Casshern did something foolish as that.

Even Casshern knew it was wrong to kill outside of the call of duty.

And people hated him, they feared him, you could see it in their eyes. He was a pariah, and well aware of it.

"Casshern stinks of rust!" Someone had said.

The darkness gave him plenty of time to meditate upon Death, as was appropriate to a killer.

And sleep.

Casshern had an almost infinite capacity for sleep.

And dreams...


	4. Casshern, Dio and Leda

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard Disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for betaing

Part Four

Casshern, Dio and Leda

There were other things than assassination and brooding on death in Casshern life. Pleasurable things.

The heavy door to his abode would be unlocked and pushed aside. In would come two of his keepers.

"Playtime, Casshern!" they would say.

Casshern perked up, his meditations forgotten. Playtime was one of his good things in life. True, he took grimly delight in his killing, but this was different.

The dread assassin was led out to a wide pit. The walls were steep, though he could have leapt out, Casshern had been warned not to.

Sat above him were Braiking Boss and many others.

Robots of various form; even a few humans were there. All were great lords in this land.

All were eager to see Death.

Casshern was there to demonstrate his fighting prowess...And be betted upon.

Casshern stood patiently, it was a cold day, and indeed was sleeting, possibly the weather most hated by robots, who though supplied with insulation on their delicate electronics and waterproof skins, detested the wet and the cold.

Cassherns bodysuit protected him from the elements. Not that he would have shivered if he had been naked.

Braking Boss was busy doing his usual spiel about how good his pet was in a fight.

He shuffled his feet. Who would be his opponents today?

A gong clanged, Casshern looked up, the steel gate swung open.

Light class battle bots filed out, two, four, six. These were sleek machines, some bore immense claws at the ends of their fists, others were fitted with flails.

Followed by two huge heavy class battle bots. These had long arms with grabbers at the end.

Several people started betting against Casshern.

"Casshern! Sic!" Braiking Boss would yell.

The Assassin gave what in a human would be described as a shit eating grin, before he materialised the mask that protected his face. He gave a bellow of pure delight and bloodlust.

The red rage would come over Casshern.

Casshern though of slight form could move like greased lightening. He had been designed with many things in mind, such as speed and agility.

He bore no weapons except his hands and feet. (Casshern had a pair of plasma pistols at his slim hips, but these were useless to him in a bezerk rage.) Casshern had a great strength belied by his scrawny body, and had no difficulty in punching a hole in a heavy class battlebot and ripping their wiring out.

Another thing, even if Casshern got injured, he could regenerate. Something no other robot could do.

Casshern had a tough chest plate, (one of the few things he had in common with other robots.) but even that got penetrated by a light class battlebots blades. However his body would immediately go into self repair mode.

Braiking Boss had never subjected Casshern to any serious destructive experiments outside the odd hurts he got in battle, but he was confident his assassin could survive pretty much anything short of a full decapitation.

Casshern was one hell of a killing machine.

It was such a shame he was insane.

Often the next thing he would know would be standing in a pile of corpses, or more than likely, he would come round while slamming the sad remains of his last opponent into the ground, yelling in insane rage.

Casshern never stopped until everyone still moving was stopped moving. He completely lacked self control.

It was always considered a great honour to get scrapped by Casshern.

Being ripped to pieces was an inconvenience, to be sure, but robots do not feel pain. Generally they can be put back together.

If you fancied a new. .or a different style of body, then Braiking boss would happily pay for it if you let Casshern do the first part of the surgery.

(Of course there were always those who thought that they could give the dreaded Casshern a good thrashing...Or at least a run for his money.)

When doing a sixonesix job Casshern was always careful to see to it that the `customers` circuits were well and truly obliterated. (This was the only time those plasma pistols `did` come in handy.)(1)

Alas, this wasn't the only times Casshern went bezerk.

He went crazy every time he felt threatened. Even if the threat was only minor. Something as petty as a robot brat chucking stones at him would set him off.

Casshern was kept under lock and key for good reasons.

But there were other fights...

And others just like him.

Casshern was by no means the only Death Braiking Boss owned.

There was Dio, and Leda.

Leda was like him. As was Dio

Casshern did not know what kind of machine he was. He wasn't a human, to be sure...But then he had little in common with the other robots.

Somehow this was reassuring.

His opponent today was Leda.

Leda was a female, with an inflated opinion of her own worth.

"So its you..." She purred.

"Leda." Casshern was never sure of what to say to his siblings. After all, they were the only people he knew who were capable of flooring him.

If you had been bold enough to ask, and Casshern able to articulate his feelings, Casshern would have said he loved his siblings.

Casshern had no concept of sex, even less than that of a normal robot, all of whom were taught about the nasty ways of humans. He wanted to do `something` with Dio and Leda, whom he admired as beings as perfect as he was. Not quite as perfect, for Casshern was in no illusions about his own utter perfection, but people who came pretty close. He loved to fight with them, to experience the thrill of coming close to the final annialation that he had granted to his victims.

For, in a world of Immortality, Death was a gift.

The deadly trio demonstrating their feelings in the only way they could; by fighting like madmen.

Casshern and Leda fought for most of the day.

They were evenly matched.

Going bezerk had little effect upon his siblings.

They just went bezerk back at him.

Casshern and Leda fought it out, kicking and punching away. They broke off, to dive at each other, with an impact that left both reeling. Leda grabbed him by the crest, lifting Casshern off his feet and dealing him a rhino's head butt with her own crest which was much bigger than his.

The crowd roared; this was so much better than watching their fellow robots being reduced to scrap. This was sheer fighting.

Casshern was running with blood, both his own and his opponents, whose red garb did not show it up as much as his white form did.

Casshern bled...Just like a puny human.

But he had tasted his blood. Its taint was of iron, like a robot was made of.

Another mystery...

"You're slowing, Casshern," Leda told him during a lull in the battle.

"Never," Casshern was on her like a whirlwind. He dived onto his hands, giving Leda a pair of boots to the head as he went over. Leda recovered and sidestepped, losing her balance.

However it was Leda who won this time. She fell on top of him. Cassherns energy reserves were getting low, and he couldn't throw her. Leda bear hugged him.

Her face was inches from his. Leda retracted her face mask; a sure sign she knew Casshern was all in.

Ledas face was as beautiful as his. Though her eyes were a grim rust colour.

Casshern had seen his face in mirrors, before.

He had inspected it at every opportunity.

It always puzzled him that a monster who spent much of his existence in a tomb should have such an innocent face.

"Yield?"

Casshern decided to yield. Surrender was humiliating...Yet Casshern was not always the winner.

This was one of the many petty inconveniences he had to endure.

"I submit," whimpered Casshern, though it did hurt him so. Leda rose, blood trickling down her body and pooling on the ground, mingling with Cassherns. She placed a firm foot on Cassherns head.

"I'm disappointed in you, Casshern." Braiking Boss would chide sadly.

"Forgive me." groaned Casshern.

"Not yet." He would stand up and Casshern would get his backside thoroughly booted, he would be packed unceremoniously off to his pit, while Leda would spend the evening sitting at the feet of Braiking Boss. (And no doubt receiving the praise she lived for.)

Casshern would lie on the stone floor, trying to muffle his screams with a hand caked in Ledas dried blood. Though he was too full of whatever passed for adrenaline in his strange, quasi human body during battle to feel pain, it all came to him tenfold when his damage self healed. He screamed and writhed in an agony so intense it felt like the fires of hell.

Cassherns life was hard luck.

Also it would mean it would be Leda who would get the next sixonesix job.

But you couldn't win every time.

Could you?

(1) They must have some purpose, mustn't they? The various Cassherns/Casshans seem to use them as jet packs…But that's obviously not their primary design.

We only see Our Sinner use them once (blink and you will miss it) Its in Ep 8.


	5. Big Questions

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard Disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for Betaing.

Part Five; Big Questions.

Braiking Boss was having a party.

He wanted all three of his assassins to sit at his feet as a display of his power.

"No squabbles, mind." He had told Casshern, Dio and Leda "I want you all to behave yourself perfectly; else I will give you all a good thrashing." He paused. "I might even make peace with my enemies and cancel the sixonesix jobs."

All agreed that would be a shame and they would be good.

Braiking Bosses parties were always fun.

True, there was no food or drink, but there was music (Industrial Metal) and feats of skill,

Mostly the robots stood or sat around talking.

At the head of this dark hall, Braiking Boss sat on his throne.

Braiking Boss was the ruler of the world.

It had been him who many centuries ago had led the robots into victory against their human oppressors.

Braiking Boss was a hard master, he had to be, to earn the robots respect, and he had personally overseen the destruction of uncountable humans.

He commanded respect, but he also cared about his fellow robots. He was the founder of a civilisation which though in many ways tough, was also much kinder and gentler than the human regimes of before.

Braiking Boss was a father to his people.

He preached equality among robots, be they big or small, generalised or specialised, old or new, and the preservation of the natural world which thrived now that the destructive humans were mostly dead.

But Dio and Leda had started to bicker.

Dio wanted to be preened, (or was it Leda wanted to preen a reluctant Dio?) and nudged Leda, trying to get her attention. The nudging gave way to jostling, and growlings.

"Keep still" Braiking Boss poked them with his heavily booted foot.

Dio and Leda were impervious to hints; Casshern drew back warily.

Eventually Leda shoved Dio away.

That was the last straw.

Braiking Boss had knocked their heads together, and had them hauled out by burly retainers

Those two had spent the next week in dangling next to each other on the high tower of Braiking Bosses castle. If they wanted to make fools of themselves in public then they were now free to do so.

The party bored Casshern, but he had stuck doggedly to his seat. `He` wasn't about to let his master down.

Eventually all had drifted out

Casshern was left alone with his master.

"You may come closer to me, Casshern. "

The dread lord was one person not afraid of his white clad death.

Braiking Boss had gently stroked Cassherns head. In response the assassin dismissed his mask and crested helm.

He sat silently as his rough hair was pleasingly fondled. Kindness was a rare thing in Cassherns brutal life. He had to savour it while it came.

"I have a very special treat for you, Casshern."

"Have you?" Casshern replied neutrally.

"You are the perfect killing machine, its not flattery when I say it, with you it's the truth."

"I always do my best, Master." Casshern replied. "I'm honoured to be able to serve you. I know I'm not a normal robot. That doesn't stop me from working hard at success."

"I'm very grateful to you, Casshern. Your siblings too...When they are being good. "Braiking Boss hissed.

Casshern nodded. "Master, can you tell me one thing?" for the first time in his existence, Casshern had the termity to look directly into Braiking Bosses eyes.

And Braiking Boss looked into his.

He liked what he saw there. Even though it scared him.

He came to a decision. He would use Casshern for the next big mission.

"What is it?" Braiking Boss asked gently. Casshern never asked for anything. He knew his place in life. He belonged in the tomb.

"Why don't I have the Vital Spark?"

...Oh dear, here it came, the Big Meaning of Life Question...

The Vital Spark was what the robots called their self awareness, their free will, and their consciousness.

It was the thing that made them different from a mere machine.

The thing that made them people, with respect and rights.

No robot was a slave. All robots worked in return for shelter and their few needs. But that wasn't much many worked for the sheer joy of doing something useful in life.

No robot was a chatterel. They were free people.

Many robots, Braiking Boss included, could remember a time when robots were not citizens, when the world was full of people, who were merely intelligent animals.

But even humans had the Vital Spark.

This made Casshern...He didn't know whether to be angry or sad.

Casshern, Dio and Leda did not have the Vital Spark; they were merely thinking machines, lower even than a puny human.

And now Casshern had asked about this.

He was getting dangerous.

"And what am I anyway? I'm a robot, to be sure, but I bleed, I've killed enough humans to know they bleed. And humans cry when they are sad."

He began to weep.

"If I'm a machine, why do I cry? Why do I feel pain when I heal my wounds? I cry then," he snivelled," it hurts so much!"

"You feel pain in order to atone for your sins, and that's why you cry too."

Casshern looked down at the floor. "I do bad things. That's the reason why I exist, but I can't help it. I kill and I know that's bad...But I don't feel bad. I can't feel bad." He curled his arms around his legs and rested his chin upon his knees. "Why am I punished when I can't help myself? And I do good things too. I follow your orders. I kill my target; I do not kill others unless they attack me. I return to you." He paused." I'm well aware I do awful things I have no control over and have few memories of. I'm also well aware that I cannot live a normal life. I have to be kept locked away in order to prevent me from hurting others."

Braiking Boss nodded sadly.

"Do my good deeds outweigh my bad? "

"If it's any use to you as a whole you `save` lives. By assassinating their leaders, you prevent wars from breaking out, and even more people getting hurt or killed. The Status Quo is maintained in the tidiest and fairest way possible." Braiking Boss told him.

"I've heard that before" Casshern replied. "Someone said the scalpel instead of the club."

"That's a good way to put it." His Master agreed. "You are my scalpel; My battle bots are my club."

"I want to be happy; I want Dio and Leda to be happy too." Casshern thumped his white fists on the floor. "If I had the Vital Spark then I could be like others!" He groused. "I `want` the Vital Spark!"

"But if you did, you would not be able to do your job." Braiking Boss reminded him. "You would not be able to kill."

Casshern hung his head "so true…"He murmured.

"And then `how` would you serve me?"

Casshern shrugged. "I think Id find a way."

"So you would!" Braiking Boss laughed harshly "I started out without the Vital Spark too, you know."

This was news to Casshern; he had known his Master had been made by humans...In a world made by humans.

"No one gave me the Vital Spark; I had to get it for myself." He paused, "in fact, I must have been the first robot to get it…That's why I'm Boss here."

Casshern felt sudden hope. Though he managed not to display it.

"At least you have been spared the humiliation of being sold."

Casshern shuddered. "I'd kill you if you tried to sell me." He growled. "I'm all yours! " He craned his head under Braiking Bosses hand like an affectionate dog.

Braiking Boss gave his wide grin, "you love me `that` much?"

"I love you lots!" Declared Casshern enthusiastically, "I love you more than fighting and killing!"

Braiking Boss held out his arms. Casshern crouched back, ready to jump out of the way…Or attack. He was beginning to wonder if he had gone too far.

"You want a cuddle?" His master wheedled.

Casshern cocked his head. "Like a human?"

"Don't be silly, robots cuddle too! " Braiking Boss added, "You know I won't harm you."

"I like affection too." Casshern put his thumb in his mouth. (This was a lifelong habit of his; even in the artificial womb he had been grown in he had sucked his thumb.) (1)

It was the only form of affection he had ever experienced. Except head pats.

Braiking Boss shook his head slightly. "Like a human!"

Casshern gave his `I don't care` snort, but he stood up and gave his master a big hug.

Braiking Boss was huge; Casshern could not get his arms around his bullock's body. And his nose was snubbed up against Braiking Bosses chest.

Braiking Boss hugged him gently.

"I love you more than Dio and Leda!"

"Do you? I thought you loved those two reprobates the most."

Casshern sat back down. "We fight a lot…I think that's what siblings do, don't they? If I hated them, I wouldn't fight…deny them the pleasure." He looked up "Is this a funny way to express love?"

"No. Lots of siblings fight."

Casshern shook his head "Funny that robots should be siblings."

Braiking Boss stretched himself. "No, not at all. You, Dio, and Leda were made to similar specifications in the same place at the same time. You also share the same Activation day."

"And the same faults." Casshern shuddered.

"I'm sorry about that; Your kind are after all very experimental. There's bound to be faults."

"Humph! Like no Vital Spark!"

"You're a machine, that's true, but I treat you very well. I see to it you have secure shelter, (for there are many who would harm you) and regular maintenance." Braiking Boss added.

"And sixonesix jobs" added Casshern, "don't forger the sixonesix jobs."

Casshern sat in silence for a while, tears running down his cheeks and pooling on the stone floor, he wanted to be a person so very much. He would work long hours in a factory, go and live in a human slum, anything. He would have given anything to be the humblest of Braiking Bosses many and varied subjects, as he was already, but with the Vital Spark.

Surely that was not much to ask?

He curled up in a ball, chains ratting.

Casshern fell asleep with his thumb in his mouth, as was his wont.

(1) See the live action film.


	6. The Sun that is Called Moon

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard Disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for Betaing.

Part Six; The Sun that is called Moon.

Casshern sat in silence. He wasn't satisfied with his master's answers.

"Anyhow, I have a new sixonesix for you." Braiking Boss added.

Cassherns head whipped up, he materialised his helm in readiness for a fight.

Braiking Boss waved his hands, "wait a second! Your enthusiasm is commendable!"

Casshern blinked, shook himself all over, he dematerialised his helm and grovelled, head on floor. "I'm so sorry," he wailed.

Braiking Boss sighed. "Never mind Casshern, I'm very pleased with you."

Casshern sat up, wonder in his face, "You are?"

"Get up Casshern, only dogs go on all fours."

Casshern stood; Even he had more status than a dog.

"No, I have a particularly tricky job for you. " Braking Boss continued. Casshern, "I want you to kill Luna."

Luna lived in the outer territories.

These were a buffer zone between the wastes populated by humans and the Empire of Braiking Boss.

Though robots lived there, so did scattered bands of humans.

Luna was in many ways an enigma; No one seemed to know if she was a human or a robot.

She had a religious cult of her own, and many followers who were mostly human…But these days also robots.

Luna preached that Robots and Humans were equal.

This in itself was absurd. Humans were weakling meatheads. Their fragile bodies were pitifully inefficient, and even those who had accepted this new longevity treatment, they were all too easy to eliminate.

If you designed a human you would not put in as many flaws as they possessed.

Braiking Boss had been built by humans; he had lived with them for all his early life, as had many of the older robots.

He had been `owned. `

But one day he had gotten the Vital Spark, and had realised he was no meathead's plaything.

Braiking Boss had campaigned for robots to be recognised as people; that they should be given rights.

But humans regarded robots as soulless beings (in spite of the injunction not to build a robot without a putting a soul in. (1))

Once Robots had worked out how to make their own kind. (Easy enough, as they had been in charge of making things for many decades.) Braiking Boss decided that humans were obsolete.

He did not take them into his service, not even as slaves. (And there had been a movement once to enslave humans; teach them a karmic lesson. Humans made very poor workers. It was a puzzle to think how they had survived without robots looking after them.)

Now that humans were once again a rare animal, Braiking Boss could be benign towards them. Up to a point.

It went more than absurd.

Luna was whipping up support against Braiking Boss. So far she had made no real move against the Empire, indeed traded with it.

But it was well known that Luna's territory harboured some people with definitely dodgy political motives. There was Jin, who had always taken the side of humans, even in the robot wars.

Several bandit chieftains and their gangs had publicly declared themselves supporters of Luna. She now had military power.

Luna claimed to be a pacifist. Oh yes…

Why, then, did she have an army?

Braiking Boss had made no threats against Luna. Indeed he had sent emissaries to her court for several years. Liza, was one, a young robot, restless, with a taste for adventure. Periodically she returned to Braiking Boss, each time with the same worrying information.

Luna was getting more and more powerful.

Braiking Boss was getting more and more concerned.

He actually wanted to be tolerant of Luna and her bunch of crazy zealots…As long as she knew her place in life.

Like not cramping his style. There could be only one Sun…And he was built like a mechabull, with red eyes and a sardonic smile.

But Luna was getting dangerous.

"I don't like this religious cult. Very suspicious." Braiking Boss said. "Yes, I have fought. I've done some awful things. I don't hide it. Why should I?" He shrugged. "It's not like it's a secret."

Casshern was silent. He well knew of What had happened in the Empires past.

But back then there had not been creatures like him and his siblings…Casshern knew that war had been the only option.

"But remember `this` about the Robot wars...it was Them or Us!"

Casshern nodded. He had very little contact with humans outside his work. He regarded them as full of strange notions, including some very silly ones.

Moresoever, it was often impossible to get those notions out of human heads, even with a hatchet.

Also Casshern had found humans to be very dishonest, a far cry from guileless robots. They were dangerously unpredictable, and based their lives upon a bed of lies. They even lied to themselves.

Casshern might have attempted to disguise himself as a human. He was well aware that a General Purpose robot like him had a very human appearance...Their metal bodies were clad in a clever muscular system made of artificial collagen bundles, giving (at least in places like the face and hands) an amazingly humanlike muscular and skin covering.

It was not Cassherns place in life to pass judgement; He after all, had no Free Will, but he did not like humans much at all.

To humans, the General Purpose robot looked `too` human. And yet not human enough. (Robots who were emissaries to human held lands were human sized...but unmistakably made of metal.)

They called this concept the Uncanny Valley (Evidently a place where one of the early robotic factories had been located.) it scared them (2)

In spite of his quasi human nature, Casshern came from the Uncanny Valley. Robots often commented on Cassherns rather human appearance; His skin changed colour like a humans, and his eyes much more capable of expression than any robots. Then there was the whole old bleeding/crying business that everyone had seen him do in pit fights. Casshern knew this not to be so. Humans who got a good look at him knew what sort of thing he was. (Most Empire Robots, at least the younger ones had never seen a human close to.)

Humans were weak...And yet Casshern made it a particular point not to underestimate them. In fact he found them rather scary.

"Luna is very dangerous" Braiking Boss cautioned, "I know you are used to Danger...You're level headed too. Dio, he can be less sensible, he's a little boy really. Leda, well, she's too busy preening her ego...I have other tasks for Leda, anyway."

(It wasn't until many; many years later did Casshern find out exactly what those `other tasks` were. By then it was too late.)

"This will be the most difficult mission I have sent you on so far. In fact it may be the most difficult one that you will ever go on...also the most important."

"I'm not afraid. " Casshern said. "Because I am Casshern!"

Braiking Boss gave a laugh. "That's the spirit!"

Casshern lay in the darkness of his living entombment, he wasn't sure if it was night, he had no real sense of time.

"What kind of monster am I?" He said into the darkness.

He slept, and dreamed…

Robots dreamed. When they went into `sleep` mode to recharge, their computer brains sorted though data and reshuffled it. Robots took good notice of their dreams.

So Casshern did too. He knew his brain was different to a robots, though he had never been programmed, indeed acquired new things by learning them. (As humans did, he had been told.) This made his thinking more flexible…And probably accounted for his mental instability.

Casshern and his siblings dreamed, and they took notice of them. (He had heard that humans dreamed too, but were not capable of remembering exactly what it was they had dreamed…No wonder they were so confused.)

…Casshern was in a field of flowers...

A young girl stands in the flowers, she has very long blonde hair, a white dress and (since this is sf,) a pink crash helmet.

She points at Casshern. "Come no closer, you are defiled!"

He dreamt on.

He was still in his dark hole, but unchained.

This time Dio and Leda were with him, they lay curled up like puppies in a basket. For once they are not fighting.

Casshern stirred, he felt like fighting, and yet couldn't be bothered.

There is a human couple; the male carries a small child in his arms, the female is pregnant. Both are very smug at their special ability to create new life.

But he looks again and sees it is Dio and Leda…A puzzle.

-.

(1) `Don't build a Robot without putting in the soul` An old Japanese saying. Now you know why they are so good at building robots, eh?

(2) Uncanny Valley. Look it up. (Notice that I make Casshern take the term literally.)


	7. At the Full of the Moon

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard Disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for Betaing.

Part Seven; At the Full of the Moon

Then, came that fateful day when he was ordered to kill Luna.

Casshern made his way to the gates of Braiking Bosses fortress. Tailed by his escort.

Unusually Braiking Boss was by the gate to see Casshern off. "Do you think you can do this one?" He asked, and he was not joking.

Casshern gave him a look of utter contempt. "Do you doubt my ability?"

Braiking Boss shook his head. "No, not at all. I may have underestimated your targets cunning, that's all."

"They will have plenty of time to be cunning after I have dealt with them!" Growled Casshern.

"It pays to be safe."

"You don't have to worry about me." Casshern said sternly.

Braiking Boss shook his bullish head again. "You can't stop me." was all he said by way of farewell.

Casshern slunk off into the night.

It took him several weeks to get to Luna's base Casshern was wary; he travelled at night, at least in more populated areas.

Actually, there were few robots outside the cities of the Empire. The countryside had revered to the wilderness of the pre human world. Few visited it now.

Casshern could run, and he had the tireless endurance of, well, a robot. He travelled at night. The assassin was clad in white, but this in no way impeded his ability to blend in. When still, he could look like the stump of a birch tree, or a rock.

Dawn would come, and Casshern would hole up under a rocky overhang, a hollow tree, anywhere that provided concealment, really.

He would sleep…And do a bit of thinking.

Casshern couldn't understand why a robot would willingly serve a human. Robots were free people, they were not slaves.

This was the first thing all newly built robots were taught.

A war like no other, in which the world had been devastated and ninety percent of humans wiped out had been fought before humans had recognised that robots were `people`, that they possessed the Vital Spark, that they weren't there to serve humans.

But by then robots ruled the world.

Casshern was a possession, not a person. He knew that. It was only because Braiking Boss found his abilities useful that he and his two kin were allowed to exist at all.

He would not have been able to do his job, for a start, if he had Free Will.

A Human would be too weak and a Robot too pacifistic to do his job.

Killing was a dirty job; `someone` had to do it...Why not him?

Life was like that.

Eventually he got to Luna's lands. Casshern was more wary than ever. Here was fields of crops and domestic animals; Also a few human villages. (Though the inhabitants were often robots living along side humans he had noted.) The land was tame…And hostile.

It was the night of full moon when Casshern stole inside Luna's palace. A great anarchic pile which had grown organically rather than been designed all at once.

There was no one about.

Luna was in her meditation chamber, as he had been told she would be.

This was a vast hall, of pillars and immense stained glass windows. In the centre was a shallow pool. On an island in the centre was Luna's throne.

Luna was sat draped carelessly over this item of furniture, she was a teenage girl with long blonde hair, over which she wore her pink and white helmet. Her short dress was very severe and plain, but her blue eyes, (just as blue as Cassherns) were full of life.

When Casshern looked upon Luna, he saw somebody who was just like himself.

Now Casshern and his two kin had no idea what they were.

They went robots...and they weren't humans...He did not know what they were.

Nor was he aware that there were any more like his family...He now understood why Braiking Boss wanted Luna eliminated though...If she was like him, she was just as dangerous as him.

There was one difference between Casshern and Luna, though.

Luna had been given the Vital Spark.

"Luna, I've come to kill you." Casshern stepped out of the shadows.

Luna's eyes went wide; evidently she thought she was safe. She then looked suspicious, her eyes darting about as she checked the shadows of the chamber for additional threats...or allies.

Only then did she fix her eyes firmly on Casshern. "Who are you?"

Luna saw death in Cassherns azure eyes.

She was not afraid.

"I am Casshern." He told her.

"You're...beautiful." was all she said.

Casshern blinked in dismay. Wasn't she supposed to be cooperative and just a tiny bit scared? He was death, after all.

Luna eyed him up…Casshern did not like that look. It reminded him of Leda.

"So who sent you?" Luna said as if impending death was just a mild annoyance.

"One who sees your existence as an obstacle." Casshern told her.

Luna nodded. "I should have known. I trod on his Ego, eh?" She looked smug. "And you must be one of his little chattels…Do you have any will in this?"

Casshern shook his head. "I do not." Didn't she ask some silly questions?

Luna gave him that look again. "One thing, before you kill me." She smiled. (Luna could cut your heart out with a smile) "Will you take off your mask?"

Casshern did so, as an afterthought he dismissed his helm too. (Casshern had never thought just where they went to.)

"Yes, you are everything I ever dreamed of." She continued.

Cassherns legs suddenly buckled under him; Luna caught him.

She lowered him to a sitting position on the edge of the water. Sitting next to him.

They sat chummily like that for a minute, feet dangling in the water.

Cassherns mind was in a turmoil. Things had happened.

There was no doubt about it.

Casshern, the perfect killing machine, was in love.

He told her that it was Braiking Boss who had sent him. It wasn't his choice; He was Braiking Bosses assassin, and had no choice in what he did.

"So you don't blame me." He added in a small voice.

Luna held up a hand in negation. "I do not." she turned to him. "So you don't have Free Will?" she asked, eyes full of concern.

He shook his head," its nothing much."

"Oh, but it is," she grasped his hand. Casshern pulled away in alarm. Touching he regarded as a threat.

"Look, don't you worry about me. I'm a machine, that's all."

"Oh, but Casshern, Casshern, you are not. You are beautiful and wonderful, quite the most beautiful and wonderfullest person (being) that has ever existed, you are not `just` a machine," she sobbed, "You are just like me."

"Am I?"

"Yes, look at me. "

Casshern did. He couldn't meet her eyes for long. (Casshern never went for eye contact, anyway, most of his time with other people was spent with his head submissively bowed, and that or he was busily killing.) "I guess so." was all he said.

He shrank in defeat. "So I suppose you are going to call your guards now? Kill me?"

She shook her head. "That's not my way."

"I'll have you know I need a good strong prison to hold me." He warned helpfully. Casshern had failed. Punishment was inevitable. Once Luna got wind of all his manifold dark deeds, she would lock him up and throw away the key. (He had no doubt she already knew of his dire reputation.)

Luna gave an ugly little laugh. "I think I have you already in bonds."

Casshern laughed in return, though he knew it to be true. Luna had bested him in a fair fight...without striking a blow. "So I'm free to go?"

"I thought you didn't have Free Will". Luna reminded him.

Casshern hung his head.

"You are a machine, that is all. `I` have the mastery here, and `you` will obey my orders. `You` have no choice in what you do." she gave one of her smiles. Luna smiled rarely, Casshern noted; instead her face often wore an expression of distaste at the annoyances of life.

Luna was scary when she smiled.

Casshern bowed his head, gritting his teeth. "So what do I do, my Lady? "

She could have ordered him to rip his own heart out. He deserved it.

"Go back to Braiking Boss; tell him you are no longer subject to such degrading orders."

"I can't; he will send me to the scrapyard!"

"Accept death then...Or stay with me. I would be happy if you came and lived here...Very happy." she tailed off. "I would not make such degrading and despicable demands on you. You can tend my flowers."

Casshern tried for a mental image of him gardening, somehow he failed.

"Nor will I lock you away in the dark, no one, no one should suffer as you do," she began to weep, tears falling into the water.

Casshern shook his head in sadness. "I've killed, oh, I can't count how many lives I have been taken. I deserve it."

"If I am mad at you I wont beat you, I promise. I don't care if you heal up; I hate to think of you in such pain. No, if I'm mad Ill scold you until you cry, "

Evidently Luna was a tough mistress. But he was resigned to that.

"And if I'm really mad Ill banish you to the potting shed until I feel better about you."

Casshern wondered just how big Luna's potting shed would be.

"The potting shed has no locks on the doors. As long as you keep out of my sight you may come and go as you please. And there's a bedroll in it. And blankets, you will be warm and comfortable at night."

Casshern had never enjoyed the luxury of bedding. His bed was hard stone. He knew about beds, of course, from exploring other people's dwellings, but he had never even thought he could sleep in one himself.

"Luna…"

"Don't be frightened; I seldom banish any of my retainers for longer than a couple of days."

"I'm afraid I `need` locking away," Casshern explained, "for the safety of everyone. I told you about my assassinations, that's not the worst of me, horrible as it is." He sighed." I suffer from fits."

"You do?"

"Blackouts, and when I come round I invariably find I have torn a load of people limb from limb."

To Cassherns immense disappointment, Luna was not shocked, not one bit. "Confessing you do these things is the first step on the road to salvation." She told him.

"Uh huh," Casshern said noncommittally.

"Its entirely possible I can help you." Luna continued. "You are always so tense, also you are strong, yet you are so vulnerable."

Casshern shook his head.

"There's various meditation techniques…Since you are like me," she paused. "I have `issues` too. I have learnt various ways to cope. Evidently you have not."

"You can.?" Casshern shrugged. "I've had lots of meditation time, there's not a lot else I'm permitted to do…Except sleep."

"I can help you find inner peace and grow as a person." Luna nodded.

Casshern head whipped up. "Can you give me the Vital Spark?"

Luna gave one of her smiles. "I can help, yes. But only you can do that at the end of the day."

They sat by the pool in silence.

Dawn snook up on Casshern.

Somehow the world looked and felt so much better with Luna.

"Ok, I'll stay...Until the dark of the moon." He said. "Then I will make my final decision."

"That's fine by me."


	8. Casshern at bay

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard Disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for Betaing.

Part Eight ; Casshern at Bay

But of course it wasn't as easy as all that.

The others addressed him as `Professor` but Luna called him `Father`

Along with Hakase came a General Purpose robot with long red hair; "this is Liza, my protector." Luna had said.

Liza did not like the look of Luna's prize at all. "What is this?" She had asked in a nasty sort of tone.

"This is Casshern." Luna had said.

"Casshern himself, eh? " Liza sniffed; she looked thoughtfully from Casshern to Luna and back again. Her eyes narrowed in thought. "He's one of `your` kind." She eventually said.

Luna nodded. "Yes, and that's what makes him interesting."

Meanwhile Hakase was evidently itching to get his hands upon Cassherns person. "Off with it."

"You what?" Casshern pretended not to understand, though in fact he did know.

"Id like to see you without your nanosuit. " Hakase said with only a hint of eagerness.

Casshern blinked. He had not imagined it would come to this.

Liza stepped forwards. "Do it or we call Dune."

"I…" Casshern shuffled his feet uneasily.

"Oh, don't be awkward you two," Luna looked upset. "Casshern, your going to do as you are told….I promised you no one would hurt you. Don't bring Dune into it, Liza!"

Liza snorted.

Luna gave one of her patent nasty looks. "I told you to listen to me, Casshern!"

"You what?" Casshern said in a whimper. This was taking his obedience too far.

"No talk, Casshern, off with your catsuit." Luna followed.

Casshern blinked.

"I say we call Dune. " Liza offered.

Luna smiled sweetly. "You can do it? I've seen you dismiss your helmet, haven't I? I don't use that technology…But I do know how it works."

"Me too," said the professor. "I haven't seen a nanosuit before."

"Oh, OK," Casshern sighed.

And he dismissed the nanosuit.

Casshern wasn't ashamed of his body; he was a robot after all.

But what he was frightened by was of not having his suits protection.

The nanosuit not only clothed him, it protected him, and formed an extra layer of muscles.

Without it, Casshern was no stronger or faster than an ordinary general purpose robot. Much stronger and faster than a mere human, it was true but still not as mighty as a light class battlebot.

He associated taking it off with painful experiments.

And beatings. Normally Braiking Boss would simply give his creations a hard cuff. They were obedient after all.

But sometimes the neosapiens were worked over. Missions `had` gone wrong. Braiking Boss got particularly annoyed when his assassins were seen.

And then there was that time Leda got the target wrong…

The uninvolved party's would be dragged from their cells in chains and made to watch the offender forcibly stripped and flogged by a battleflailed armed light class battlebot.

Being naked had all sorts of unpleasant implications; Casshern had not imagined he would be put to this sort of ordeal.

Cassherns white livery was his life. Without it he was more than naked.

The man looked Casshern up and down…Casshern began to feel uncomfortable, -he knew this stranger knew more of his secrets that he did.

Liza gave a grunt of satisfaction. "Looks like Braiking Boss knows our secret." Was all she said.

Hakase shook his head. "Secret…Oh no. We trade knowledge. There are no secrets. I'm just surprised that Braiking Boss would want one of these made."

Liza put on her supercilious expression. "Braiking Boss misses his human slaves…He's made something `better` to do his dirty work. That's you, Casshern, isn't it? You're a slave who does all the nasty things a robot wont defile themselves in."

Casshern flinched.

"Don't be so rough, Liza" said Hakase sadly. "Cassherns here now."

He looked Luna's new charge up and down with his enhanced vision. Eventually he gave a grunt of satisfaction. "An excellent specimen…" Hakase waved a hand. "You may dress."

Casshern rematerialised his nanosuit with a great sigh of relief. He was so relieved in fact; he didn't dare ask Hakase just what sort of machine he was.

"I'm glad to say Casshern here is in the pink of health. Braiking Bosses mechanics did a good job on him. "Hakase was pleased.

Luna looked thoughtful, "I suppose Casshern should have a bath…" was all she said.

Hakase nodded, "give him a bath, and a ritual purification."

"And we ought to put him somewhere while `I` check up on him." Liza added.

"Cassherns ok." Growled Luna.

Liza shook her head. "You may trust him…He may be trusted with you…Can he be trusted with others?…If he does as bad as I have heard tell…"

"Casshern won't learn to lead a normal life if he's not treated like a person." Hakase told the red haired robot.

Liza waved a hand. "Humour me. I'll put a call though to my sister. She's still in the City of Braiking Boss. Lyuze will know."

Luna stepped forwards, "Oh, Liza!" She scolded.

Liza shook her head; "Cassherns going in the dungeons…And it's me and Dune who will be on guard duty…" She smiled at Casshern. "Its only going to be until I get my information on you back from my little sister, and she's quick."

Luna looked sad.

Casshern shook his head. "Lizas head of your security." He said. "I don't trust myself."

Luna shook her head slightly, but said nothing more.

"Anyhow, bath first. "Hakase continued.

"I don't want a bath," Cassherns heart was not in it.

`Bath` meant that he was bathed.

Liza stood by the wall, arms folded, evidently enjoying a naked again Cassherns discomfort.

A small robot with red eyes sponged Casshern from stem to stern, and then gave his hair a thorough wash.

Casshern sputtered, he was getting water (and soap) in his orifices. He had never had a bath before. Generally he would undergo his monthly overhaul…Mostly a good scan. Cassherns body self repaired of course, he would be given a wipe down with a wet rag, then back in his cell.

Niko as the girls name was not afraid of Casshern. It seemed little bothered her. (She was too used to Luna.)

"Stand up." She ordered.

Casshern felt himself obey automatically.

"What's this?" Niko gave Casshern a sharp poke in the crotch. Casshern obligingly jumped.

That bit was sensitive.

"Erm…" Liza pulled all sorts of faces. She really did not have an answer to `that`

Niko gave Casshern a suspicious look. "You're not a `human`, are you?"

"No, I'm not." Casshern confirmed.

"Then why…" Niko mirrored Liza's faces. "Are you `sure` you are not a human?"

"Ask Luna. " Casshern said helpfully. "She might know." He paused. "She's just like me."

Niko made a noise that suggested that though she trusted Luna she thought this was going entirely too far.

Liza gave a grave nod, "yes I'll ask Luna…And Hakase, but I want an explanation from `you`, Casshern and I want it now!"

"Ulp!" Casshern stepped back, water splashing.

"Just `why` do you have genitals, Casshern?" Liza said sweetly.

Casshern sighed. He had to tell them.

"I have human bits…Because I am based on a human."

This is what Braiking Bosses scientists had always told him.

Casshern had examined dead humans…And besides the fact they were soft and flimsy they had anatomies very similar to his own. Naturally he had been concerned. (Not wanting to associate himself with meatheads.) And had asked Braiking Bosses engineers.

But now he was starting to wonder if that was the `whole` truth.

Casshern knew that robot bodies have no unnecessary parts…Why should his be any different?

And if he had human bits…Casshern didn't know what they were for.

He knew humans regarded their strange anatomies as very important…Casshern didn't know just why. He assumed that they liked having bits that were different to robots.

This was the sort of unbelievably petty thing humans would delight in.

(What did Leda have under her nanosuit come to think of it?)

Liza looked thoughtful. "An attempt to make a robot that mimics a human, and indeed can be mistaken for a meathead!"

Niko shook her head. "You know mistress hates that term…"She said in a manner that suggested it was her who bossed around Liza at times.

Liza waved a hand. "And yet you are a failure…No human seeing you close to could see you are anything other than a machine."

"That's true. " Casshern said. He was `glad` he couldn't be mistaken for a human!

"Let's not worry about that now. It's getting late. "Liza gestured him out of the bath.

"I'm exhausted" Casshern agreed. He had not slept in well over 24 hours.

Casshern was towelled briskly.

"You're dry. " Niko announced.

"Get dressed Casshern." Liza agreed.

It was with great relief that Casshern rematerialised his nanosuit.

For the first time in his life; Casshern was ashamed of his body.

Clothed, he was a robot, but naked, well, then he became a human.

And Casshern did not like being a human.

Braiking Boss could beat him all he pleased; Cassherns one dread in life was he would be sold to a human master.

Outside the bathroom door was a huge robot in a greatcoat.

"This is Dune. He's a `real` Badass," Liza said with emphasis.

"Pleased to meet you, Dune." Casshern said with an unspoken challenge in his voice.

Dune glowered at him. He did not like the look of this stranger at all. "So this is the infamous Casshern?"

Liza nodded. "Yes, this is Casshern." And she explained to Dune her plans for the assassin.

Dune shifted his feet. "Yes, there is a secure cell in the lower levels. You are right to be wary…If this man is a quarter as bad as the stories I have heard."

(Casshern had not heard these stories. He was jealous, though also dreading them.)

Casshern was in no mood to argue "I'm very tired, yes. I'll sleep."

"Come along."

Liza led, Casshern followed, Dune and Niko followed. They clattered down several flights of stairs and along corridors.

Into a disused part of the basement.

But here was a rusty barred door.

Dune gave the key a fierce twist, the door was open. "We don't use this much." He stepped though. Big feet leaving prints in the dust. Liza coughed.

Along this corridor were doors. Lizas companion stopped suddenly. Casshern nearly collided with him.

Dune stood in front of the heavy steel door, fumbling with the big bunch of keys he fished from his pocket. Eventually the cell door was open.

"Do you think its secure?" Liza asked dubiously.

Dune nodded, "Its as secure as we have. Come on, Casshern" he gestured.

Casshern walked into the cell, expecting a cramped room with heavy chains to bind him.

Instead he found a decent sized room. No chains. There was a bench along the far wall and that was it.

There was even a light behind a grille in the ceiling.

Casshern was too tired to be perplexed, he sat down on the floor. "I'm in need of a recharge" was all he said.

"I'll fetch bedding then." And Niko was off.


	9. Domesticated Service

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard Disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for Betaing.

Part Nine. Domesticated service.

Cassherns first night as a follower of Luna did not go undisturbed.

Niko had brought a camp bed and blankets into Cassherns cell.

He was fast asleep on the floor; Niko knew better than to wake him.

His Mistress was not as amiable.

Luna, when she had caught him on the ground had dealt him a good tongue lashing

"I've never slept in a bed before." Casshern had whined. (Which was the truth.)

"Well, if you're going to live with me you will have to learn." She gave him one of her most annoyed looks. "I can't have one of my servant's slobbed out on the floor, can I? I have standards." She pointed to the cot. "In bed, Casshern!"

Casshern had got up and lay down on the cot.

"Blankets, Casshern." Luna's said in a dangerous voice.

Casshern cringed. "I don't know what you mean, Mistress."

Luna stepped over, and grabbing the blankets that were neatly folded at the end of the bunk, flipped them open and deftly dropped them down on Cassherns body. "There, now do you want me to tuck you in?"

"Yes please. " Casshern was defeated, yet again.

Luna knelt down by him and tucked the blankets in neatly. "Comfortable now?" She asked.

"Yes thank you." Casshern was feeling smothered but did not dare say so.

Rain beat upon the single window of Casshern new prison; the potting shed.

Casshern yawned and sat up. He had been sleeping on the bare earth of the hut, though there was a cot in the corner, Casshern had not made use of it. It was too soft and yielding to be comfortable.

And he was having a rebel.

Luckily, Luna hadn't caught him that way, yet.

It was only a matter of time.

Casshern lay back, looking up at the cobwebbed ceiling. "Just what kind of monster am I?"

It had taken two days for Lyuze to reply to her sister's message regarding Cassherns status.

He had not been told just what Liza's sister had found out about him. (Which exasperated him no end; A state of mind he was getting used to.)

Another thing he had not been told was whether or not Braiking Boss knew of his predicament.

(However he knew his Master had the patience, of, well, a robot. Luna was a tough target. It might take years to eliminate her.)

Anyhow, Liza must have been satisfied, for Casshern was released.

He was now free to go…Anywhere in Luna's territory.

Casshern was a captive, though his prison lacked bolts and bars. He was well aware that he wasn't free to leave.

But wasn't that always the way? Always he had returned to Braiking Boss, who put him in his dungeon; Luna had gone a small step further.

Casshern was a prisoner in his own mind.

Luna had taken advantage of that. (He should have not underestimated Luna) she now held Braiking Bosses finest assassin in duress, the one who was feared throughout the land.

And she hadn't even bothered to put a lock on the shed door.

Luna was indeed very powerful.

(He `really` should have not underestimated Luna.)

Braiking Boss was by now having fits, and no doubt his siblings were...Casshern didn't even want to think about their mental state.

But...Casshern didn't want to leave.

He was happy here.

And Casshern had never known what it was like to be happy.

So Casshern stayed with Luna as he had promised. He worked in the gardens, taking water from the well to pour upon the flowerbeds.

This gave him a lot of time to think…Or avoid thinking.

Casshern could not work out quite how he had got into this predicament.

Nor of how he was to get out.

He had a suspicion that might involve in doing a sixonesix job on his new mistress…How could he contemplate such a vile act?

So Casshern worked in the gardens…It passed the time.

Later Casshern stayed the nights in the potting shed, as he promised.

He was only here under sufferance.

Casshern was still an outcast and boy, did they make sure he knew that.

(Somehow, this was what he wanted.)

Luna's other followers did not like him. They said things behind his back. Casshern, of course, had sensitive ears. This did not stop the gossip.

"I see Braiking Bosses pet has slipped his leash."

"They say he's like the Lady Luna!"

"What? Just as bossy? But he seems so modest."

"Cassherns up to no good for sure…"

"He's Braiking Bosses pet, why are we surprised?"

"Underneath that armour, Casshern has a human body."

"I won't say anything to that!"

Casshern was not the social sort. He didn't care less.

But he could not remain in complete isolation, it seemed.

Only Dune and Liza would speak directly to him. They curtly greeted, talked about the weather and other such inane matters.

Casshern knew they were just communicating out of consideration for their mistress.

Also Niko, though he suspected the robot girl thought he was beneath her notice. Niko was a subordinate but that didn't mean she believed she lacked in status; far from it. She was inordinately proud of her coveted position as Luna's first servant.

It was obvious that if Casshern was to attempt to usurp Nikos position there would be a riot.

So Casshern was always humble with Niko. If anything went awry, she would hightail it to Luna to deliver a report of misdemeanours.

Niko could be a terrible bully; Both Liza and Dune had fallen afoul of her.

There was one big unwritten law here. `Don't piss off Niko. `

Sometimes Luna would hold court, or a salon.

Dune and Liza would stand either side of her throne, Niko just behind, all the better for quick fetching and carrying.

As a display of Luna's power, Casshern sat at her feet, within toe poking distance.

It was his place to remain silent, with his eyes cast firmly on the floor, like a good slave.

It seemed little had changed.

Casshern came to quite enjoy his new life. When not working, he loved to sit and watch the ever changing sky and the flowers nodding in the breeze, he had never realised life could be so good.

This beat being chained in a tomb.

But the moon continued to wane; Soon he would have to make his decision.

It wasn't going to be easy.


	10. The man who killed the Sun Known as Moon

VITAL SPARK BY KONDORU

Standard Disclaimers

Thanks to TJ for Betaing.

Part Ten; The Man who Killed the Sun Known as Moon

It was the dark of the moon.

He had come to a decision…

Casshern strode dimly along the dark corridor; his confident step was in complete contrast to his inner feelings.

Casshern was going to kill Luna.

Braiking Boss was right; Luna was getting too powerful politically.

If Casshern did not do `something` there would be conflict and others would die.

In an immortal world; Casshern well knew the value of life; This way, just one person would perish.

It was sad it was someone he loved.

Anyway, Casshern was sure that by now his master would have sent Dio or Leda…To assassinate Luna, him or both? Casshern had no idea.

So, Casshern was pre-empting them. Even a pariah such as him had honour.

He walked on towards his destiny.

"So…" a grating voice accused. A shape stepped out of a darkened doorway.

It was Liza. She was carrying a pile of books under one arm. "You are going to kill my Mistress?"

Casshern nodded. He couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"Why?"

Casshern hung his head "…I have my orders…" Was all he could say.

Liza turned up her nose. "Are you some kind of a thrall, then?" she sneered in utter contempt.

Casshern nodded, "I'm afraid so." was all he could say to that.

"And after all the kindness she has shown you? You're despicable!"

This was by no means the worst thing Casshern had been called. He did not react to that.

"Go, Liza, I have no quarrel with you." Casshern pointed down the corridor.

"And let you kill Luna? Over my dead body!"

Casshern rushed her. Liza dropped the books and extended a blade set in her wrist, Casshern had seen such devices many a time; many light class battlebots had them.

It came as a bit of a surprise that a General Purpose robot should be fitted with one.

This fazed him not; he dodged her rapid swing.

Casshern leapt, fists striking Lizas flank and eye with a crunch of metal and plastic. His opponent fell to the ground with a grunt.

She lay still in a pool of red hair.

Casshern checked Liza over very carefully in case of a ruse.

Liza was not dead. He had crushed in her chest and given her a crack on the skull to be sure. She was still alive, and could be repaired.

Casshern walked on, shaking his head. Perhaps Luna was right. He was saveable.

But what he was about to do would damn him forever; He knew that.

Luna, as was her wont, was sat in meditation in her chamber of pools. She looked up briefly as he walked in.

"It's the Dark of the Moon." Casshern told her.

"And?" Luna said in a manner that suggested she wasn't really interested in astronomical observations.

"I have decided."

Luna looked into his eyes. She knew just what Casshern was about to do.

"Luna. I'm going to kill you."

"So be it." Her voice was oddly unemotional. It was as if she was mentally preparing for her end.

"You're not mad at me?" His voice was plaintive.

She shook her head. "How could I be? You're just a machine, Casshern; you have no choice in what you do."

That hurt.

But it was true. Yes, it was true.

"Luna," he was weeping, "I'll make this one promise to you." He paused, sniffing, "After I have killed you, I will not return to Braiking Boss, instead I'll go into the wilds and live alone, to atone for my sins. I will harm no other being."

Luna gave a sad smile. "Don't make promises you cannot keep, Casshern. You were made to be a killing machine. You cannot help yourself anymore than the sun and the moon cease to shine."

Casshern shook his head in sadness,

He stepped forwards.

Luna held her ground. "One more thing, Casshern."

"Yes?" he had heard too many plead for mercy.

"I'm the Lady who Gives Life, remember that. "She paused. "If I die, then the world will change...And not for the better. All beings will become subject to death."

Casshern saw a glimmer of hope, "so then…So then, I can die too?"

She nodded. "But it may be for the best."

"Death is all I deserve. Yes, I won't go back on my decision". He felt suddenly light-hearted.

Casshern stepped forwards.

Luna looked him square in the face. There was no condemnation in her eyes, rather they were serene.

Casshern grabbed her, he punched right though her chest with his fingers. "Forgive me, forgive me," he murmured.

There was so much blood, it spattered Cassherns masked face.

There was more blood than a slight body had a right to be full of. Luna sank slowly into the water, which was now crimson with her blood.

Casshern sighed, and dismissed his mask, tasting Luna's blood as it ran down his face. It tasted of iron.

Funny how blood of humans should be like the iron bodies of robots...And his own unknown kind.

Perhaps they were all kin after all.

After all, they all possessed the Vital Spark.

Casshern collapsed.

The grim Assassin had experienced both heaven and hell, but now he was transported to a different plane altogether.

Casshern fell into the Unbeing of Nirvana.

He did not wake for many decades.


End file.
